Give and Take!

I thank my God every time I remember you.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you

will carry it on to  completion…

—Philippians 1vs 3-12

It is better to give than to receive. Yes, and we all feel better when we are giving than when we are receiving. We all come in contact with persons that we know are really hurting and we ask, “How is it going?” Often the answer is OK, fine, good…etc. That answer raises the antenna on a counselor. Many of us are relieved when we hear it because now we can change the subject and avoid the real issue.

On a Friday in January 1998, I was diagnosed with cancer and made aware that surgery was a good solution. That Sunday, June and I were scheduled to be greeters for a church service. God forgive me but I lied a lot that morning. Most people greet with, “Hi, how are you?” and they did not really want to hear my answer.

            The point is that in 1998, we needed to take from the church more than we could give. Oh yes, we gave them financial support, but that is not what I mean. I needed prayers to cover my fear. June needed prayers to cover her tears. The kids and grand kids also needed spiritual support. The support was not for the weekend but for an extended period that lasted most of 1998. The good news was that “…He who began a good works in you will carry it on to completion…” The support was available through our Christian community.

              In 1998, the Pickering family was blessed; that was the year we learned to accept the support and prayers from our friends in Christ. We learned to receive the benefits that are available to all, that unfortunately, some are too proud to receive.

              This last fall we again took prayers from our Christian community. The drug reaction that followed my angioplasty was extreme and we needed serious prayers for three months. All seems better now and the cure is in sight. This time we remembered that “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy”. We are welcome and it is OK to take and receive.

Thought for Today: Today let us recognize when we need support. Let us stop and pray about it. If there are any real bad moments, let’s call a friend in Christ and ask for help. The friend will be grateful. Also, if we have a great week, let’s hope that we get a call from someone that could use our support.

Prayer for Today:  Dear Lord and Father, we offer our prayers for peace and understanding in the world. As a nation, we seem to accept terror and murder on a daily basis in the Mid East. Today we pray somehow for the understanding and that we, in some way, can contribute to the spreading of your love throughout the world.

Amen

Rejoice!

Thought for the Week: This is the day (week)  that the Lord has made, let us rejoice! We will experience ups and downs but with the hope of God in our hearts, the downs can be short, the ups can be high it can be a week of joy. It is our choice.

Aristotle said it this way: “Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

Paul said it to the Romans like…

Romans 15verse 13,

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace

 as you trust in him,

so that you may overflow with hope

by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Style Change?

Good News 040107 Style Change?

“For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,

and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

but whoever listens to me will live in safety

and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

(Proverbs 1:32/33)

            The more we change the more we seem to stay the same. People that focus on being as good as they can be, people that help others, people with spirituality seem to live “…without fear of harm.” When we lose that focus, negatives start to build in our lives and we start a slippery slide.

            When we do not have any time for God, it is a sign of over commitment, reacting to our “to do” lists rather than planning out day. The concept of putting one’s self first part each day is the key to maintaining sanity and generating personal growth. We need to take the time to grow every day to be a good parent, employee, and friend; just be as good as we can be The question is how do we do all that we need to do and meet all of our obligations? The answer is priorities, and including the Lord on the list!

            Pat McNamara, a four time Olympian from Minneapolis advised me that if I was going to stay in shape, I had to give fitness a priority part of every day. That is, make it a calendar item and follow Nike’s advice, “Just Do It”! OK, then if we want to live better we need to schedule time to listen to the message so we “…will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Thought for Today: We need to recognize the internal conflict in our lives. The conflict between our over committed “to do” lists and the time required to have personal growth. The concept is simple, we all want to be better in spirit, mind and body but we do not have the time. Our wants look like needs and our stress builds. Today let’s try placing the Lord first for a few minutes a day and try to feel the difference as we go through the day.

Prayer for Today: Father, today you are at the top of my list. I look forward to the piece that you will bring.

 Amen

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Thought for Today(and 2014!): Let us look ahead rather than behind. Let us look ahead at the opportunities in our lives. This year let us practice Christian ethics and life style in all phases of our lives and by all means share our faith with others.

Or as Paul said it!

"Not that I have already obtained all this,
or have already been made perfect,
but I press on to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. “
(Phillipiens 3:12-14)

        Happy New Year. For the next few weeks the athletic clubs will be filled with "New Years resolutionists". Diet programs will come and go, self improvement books will be purchased or at least the dust will be blown from last year’s cover! Does that sound familiar? Yes, we all have had a few resolutions fall by the wayside.         I do not know if Paul wrote the above on New Year’s Eve but it is appropriate. Many of us have new goals today: weight, fitness, financial goals etc. Paul is asking us to look at our spiritual goals. "...Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” Hold that thought as you proceed through the New Year.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father as this New Year begins please hear our prayer for serenity:

"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference."

Hear this for all the worlds people so that your love and peace may dominate this New Year.
Amen

Thankful New Year's Eve!

Good News 061412 New Year’s Eve

“The LORD Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Psalm 46v7

            Today rather than focusing on a new beginning, let’s give thanks for the blessed year that has passed. Certainly as we think back there are both positive and negative memories. We may ask why we did some dumb things? …or why something great happened? Whatever the case, the Lord was with us and we need to be thankful.

Thought for Today: Today let us be thankful for last year and prayerful about our future. As we move forward let’s remember two of my favorite themes. Keep healthy in spirit, mind and body. Also when doubt about something remember my favorite philosopher, NIKE and “Just do it!”

Perfection is a Goal!

Perfection?

Thought for Today: Today we will fail again at being perfect. Let us try to focus on the good that we do, the encouragement that we give others and the love we have in our hearts. That will help us have a great week.

"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work
and the love you have shown him
            as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
         We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end,
                      in order to make your hope sure.
                    We do not want you to become lazy,
              but to imitate those who through faith and patience
                      inherit what has been promised."
               ( Hebrews 6; 10-12)

       In twelve step programs, there is a reading called "How It works". It recognizes that the program is to develop "spiritual growth not perfection". We all tend to get into that perfect mode; perfect mom, perfect dad, perfect employee and the list goes on. Obviously, each of us falls short of perfection.

        In our daily lives, we make mistakes. We could count them weekly and judge ourselves as failures. The only one of us that does not make mistakes probably does nothing. Many people work their way into depression by counting their failures.

        In our spiritual lives it is not any different. We all have made mistakes and will continue to be less than perfect. We may feel bad or judge ourselves rather severely. However, "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown...". We must remember that as we walk the walk.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, there is scary and awful news every day. Often we forget your love because of worry and concern. Today we pray that we may focus on your understanding and caring love. We pray for the opportunity to demonstrate and share your love with others.
Amen 

Joy to the World!

“Joy to the World, the Lord has come" 

        There are a lot of one liners that can be taken from Christmas carols. The opening of "Joy to the World" says it all to me. It summarizes our Christian lives; lives of joy through the forgiveness of our faith and our Christian peers. Let us all feel the joy of the season, the love for each other and keep our faith strong throughout the season. 

With blessings, have a great Christmas eve.

Send Bob a Christmas message at bobpickering@comcast.net